New Delhi: The Biden family received tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual disclosure published by the United States state department. The most expensive among the items that first lady Jill Biden was presented with was a 7.5-carat diamond worth $20,000 (roughly Rs 17 lakh), from prime minister Narendra Modi.
This, according to the Associated Press, was the most costly gift presented to any member of the US first family in 2023.
The diamond, which now resides in the White House East Wing for official use, topped the list of expensive items presented to the first family. The lab-grown diamond, encased in a Kashmiri papier-mâché box, was gifted by Modi during his three-day visit to the US in June 2023, PTI has additionally reported.
In the same trip, Modi gifted a carved sandalwood box, a book titled The Ten Principal Upanishads, a statue and an oil lamp worth a total of $6,232 to President Joe Biden. In November 2022, Modi had gifted him a painting worth $1,000.
Additionally, Modi gifted a $850 wall hanging to Kurt Campbell, former deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, in August 2023. Campbell is US deputy secretary of state. The prime minister also gifted a lattice work box and a camel bone box to senators Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer in June 2023 worth $125 each, respectively.
Doval, Khanna gift statues, sculptures
National security advisor Ajit Doval gifted a $485 silver jaguar statue and a $638 wooden elephant structure to his American counterpart Jacob Sullivan in January and July of 2023, respectively.
Additional national security advisor Rajinder Khanna gifted a silver elephant sculpture worth $3,980 to the US homeland security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall in September 2022. In the previous month, he had also gifted a silver candlestick and a silver picture frame worth a total of $515 to the US deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger.
The Indian government also presented Philip Jefferson, vice chair of the US federal reserve, gifts worth $602 dollars which included a sadeli wooden box, a filigree wood craft art replica of the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, a cotton stole with soof embroidery and an ikat print briefcase among other items. A US national intelligence employee also reported the receipt of a $500 Indian cashmere silk rug in April 2023 by an unnamed donor.
Gifting custom
Under US law, executive branch officials are required to declare gifts from foreign leaders that exceed $480 in value. These gifts are typically transferred to the National Archives or displayed for official use, though recipients can purchase them at market value – a rare occurrence, particularly for high-value items.
The US disclosure noted that several of these high-end gifts, including the diamond, were retained for White House use, while most others were sent to the archives.
The disclosure also highlighted gifts received by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employees, valued at more than $132,000 collectively, many of which were destroyed due to protocol. These included luxury watches, perfume and jewellery.
